May marks the end of the ferocity of summer as we transition into the rainy season in our country. And as the local art scene transitions into new exhibits for the month, one should use time to take stock of all the great art gifted to the public this month.
There’s so much craft and creativity out there that it feels almost impossible to write about it all. And yet we try anyways, because art blossoms out of the personal, and reflects a world beyond ourselves that begets empathy and care for our and others’ being.
In the interest of showcasing as much as the country has to offer, we at BluPrint created this list to shine a spotlight on the interesting artists and exhibits that you may have missed.
In Musings, shown at West Gallery this May, contemporary artist Epjey Pacheco crafts a sprawling series of painted chaos depicting the wildness of his own imagination. The artists uses different ideas to depict their vision: disfigured people with flowers for heads, chimeran creations of birds merged with human bodies, the merging of violent tools with human attributes
It’s a clash of different ideas displaying the intricate world we live in, and the interconnectedness of humanity with its environment. The artworks pulse with a sense of hopelessness as they depict a rising tide of sacrifices and dead bodies that have accumulated in humanity’s continued drumming for progress.
Beyond the paintings of chaos, Pacheco put up a wall filled with drawings of empty, blank faces surrounded by scribblings and colorful, tattoo-esque designs. Contrasted with the vibe of the rest of the works, it feels like looking into the eyes of the victims of violence. The work bursts forth with nihilism, especially in today’s landscape where we all watch the destruction of a genocidal war within our phone’s fingertips.
One doesn’t necessarily see street protest art in galleries and museums. Protest art, more than anything, comes from the spontaneity of the moment, the indignation that one feels bubbling up into raw emotions on the artist’s chosen canvas. It thrives on simplicity to ensure understanding of the message, and doesn’t necessarily lend itself to being displayed.
And yet, NORIAI BUS -変わりゆく日々の Prayer utilizes the language of street protest art to create a portrait of the issues facing society today. Gerome Soriano’s exhibit explicitly hits against topics like nuclear power, the Israel-Palestinian war, the government’s controversial jeepney phaseout program. Tiny toy cars, stickers of roosters, and other photographs tie together the seemingly-ramshackle nature of the exhibit.
The presentation of the banners and artworks forces you into a small enclosure to put one face to face with these ideas. The banners are longer than the room’s height at times, creating a tightness that mimics the density of an actual protest. It’s a provocation, and an honest one that forces its audience to reckon with the weight of the world on its shoulders.
The Ylang-Ylang Chapters in Gravity Art Space (literally) weaves together histories and traditions of womanhood in the country. Modern society still reckons with the patriarchy and its oppression for women for most of civilized history. For most of existence, women could not create as freely as men. Many of them worry instead about familial obligations, sexism, and economic realities not being as abundant for their gender.
Tekla Tamoria’s textile collage tapestries evaluate that history of womanhood as she meditates on the opportunities afforded to her today as the first female artist in her family. She sews family portraits, images of female friendships, and the Filipino woman pondering her place in the universe.
The works resonate emotionally, especially if one has had to choose between ambition and their personal relationships. It crafts an idealized look into womanhood at large, and tasks the audience to understanding the way we can move forward in society to give women the opportunities they might never have had.
The interesting thing about art is not that it necessarily pushes boundaries, but gives voices to ideas and personal reflections that we might otherwise not know. The creation of art finds in us the ability to be honest about our feelings, about our society, and about our past.
These May exhibits exemplify that attitude. It shows us seeking more a sense of the self in a world so heavily commodified and darkened.
Related reading: ‘Alburoto’: Recontextualizing Labor Rights as a Women’s Issue
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